3 Ways to Boost Instagram Engagement

15 Feb 3 Ways to Boost Instagram Engagement

At JC Sweet & Co., one of the most important things to us is making sure we are keeping you as up to date as possible on ways you can improve your social media and social media engagement, further growing your audience and reach.

I love this article from Social Media Examiner because it gives specific steps to grow in specific areas related to Instagram.

3 Ways to Improve Instagram Engagement

If Instagram marketing is a priority for you, check out these steps to generate more organic engagement.

1. Focus on Instagram Video Posts for More Comments

Instagram reports that 80% of all Instagram users follow a business. Much like Pinterest, Instagram users are primed to encounter brands and businesses among photos of their friends and favorite influencers.

So you need to decide what type of engagement would best suit your goals. More likes can lead to fans, but comments may result in a wider reach.

A 2018 report confirmed that video content on Instagram receives the most likes overall. However, the average number of likes for images is higher than for video, leading the study to conclude that the most popular video posts may earn a disproportionately high percentage of likes.

2. Tag Users to Increase Instagram Post Likes

According to the 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, marketers listed images as the most important content type, followed by videos and blogging.

Instagram accounts have the option to tag users and add hashtags to create engagement. These extra steps set Instagram apart from other visual sites such as Pinterest.

A study looked at both the median number of likes per Instagram post and the number of users tagged in the post and concluded that each tagged user attracted 0.5 to 1 new like.

In short, contrary to belief, tagging other users wins out as a universal best practice for Instagram over hashtags. Perhaps its because it communicates more authenticity to users (and not adding hashtags simply for the benefit of reach).

3. Engage to Generate Instagram Engagement

According to previously mentioned reports, content that people most engaged with came from accounts with between 10,000 and 50,000 followers. The study concluded that popularity doesn’t always equal connectivity.

What explains this result? These users were creating content that resonated with their audience more frequently than those with larger, more general audiences.

In conclusion, Instagram rewards brands that play to their own audience’s tastes. Video content currently rules the day in regards to comments. But what will the rest of this year bring?